My last two blogs looked at the First World War experiences of George Cuthbertson, a marine engineer from South Shields and Annie Hamilton, a nurse. This blog looks at the Second World War and in particular the story of a much loved and admired warship HMS Kelly. It remembers the skill of the men who built and repaired the ‘Kelly’ and the great courage of those who served on her and gave their lives in the defence of their country.

HMS Kelly on sea trials, 1939 (TWAM ref. 2931/43)

HMS Kelly was built on the River Tyne at Hebburn by the illustrious shipbuilding and engineering firm Hawthorn Leslie. During the Second World War the shipyard’s output was remarkable. It included an aircraft carrier, three cruisers, two fast minelayers and 16 flotilla leaders and destroyers, not to mention a whole host of other vessels for the Royal and Merchant Navies. This was all achieved despite the difficulties caused by the War such as air raids and blackouts. The Shop Stewards Committee wrote:

“We felt that every ship was a vital contribution to victory; that every rivet hammered home was another nail in Hitler’s coffin. More important still, we knew that if we did not produce the ships the alternative was unthinkable disaster” (Our Ships at War by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd).

The keel for HMS Kelly was laid on 26 August 1937 and she took two years to complete. She was a K-Class destroyer, named after the Admiral of the Fleet, Sir John Kelly whose daughter launched her on 25 October 1938. Her Captain was Lord Louis Mountbatten.

Launch party of HMS Kelly, 25 October 1938 (TWAM ref. 2931)

After War was declared on 3 September 1939 HMS Kelly was straight into the thick of the conflict. The following day together with HMS Acheron she helped to sink a u-boat and on 12 September HMS Kelly brought the Duke of Windsor (the former King Edward VIII) back to England from Le Havre.

During her short career the ‘Kelly’ suffered a lot of bad luck. In December 1939 her stern was damaged after she struck a German mine just off the River Tyne. Repairs were not completed until the following February. Much worse was to come. On 9 May 1940, while searching for German minelayers in the North Sea, she was torpedoed with the loss of 27 lives. Many of these men are buried in Hebburn Cemetery.

With great difficulty she was towed back to Hawthorn Leslie’s shipyard by HMS Bulldog. Lord Mountbatten wrote:

“…when this perilous journey began, my Navigator asked me where we should make for – and without a second’s hesitation I replied: Hebburn. I knew the ship’s birthplace was where she should return; and not only was the Kelly given a new lease of life, but my decision was more than justified by the real human sympathy and interest alone which was shown to our wounded and killed” (Our Ships at War by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd).

It’s also worth recording the comments of the Controller of the Navy who wrote:

“Kelly was got into harbour not only by the good seamanship of the officers and men, but also on account of the excellent workmanship which ensured the watertightness of the other compartments. A single defective rivet might have finished her” (Our Ships at War by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd).

HMS Kelly was assessed and the necessary repairs carried out by the workers at Hawthorn Leslie. The Archives holds a photograph album kept by the firm, which shows the full extent of the damage. These images are included in a new flickr set.

View of damage to HMS Kelly looking from the Lower Deck through the boiler room, 1940 (TWAM ref. 2931/43)

The repairs were completed and the ‘Kelly’ returned to service in December 1940. By May 1941 she was leading the 5th Destroyer Flotilla in the Mediterranean. Tragically, on 23 May while returning to Alexandria she was bombed and sunk by the Luftwaffe. Survivors were picked up by HMS Kipling but the loss of life was terrible. One hundred and thirty men were killed and they are remembered in memorials at Hebburn Cemetery, together with the 27 crew members who perished in May 1940.

The memorials were erected by the survivors of HMS Kelly and the workers at Hawthorn Leslie. Mountbatten commented on this writing:

“None of us will forget how members of the Yard contributed to the Memorial which was put up in the Hebburn Cemetery, or the kindness and sympathy of those who tended the grave. There is a strong mutual bond between the men who build our ships and the men who sail in them and fight in them; and this has perhaps never been more clearly shown than it was between us in the Kelly and you in the Yard” (Our Ships at War by R. & W. Hawthorn Leslie & Co. Ltd).

Captain the Lord Louis Mountbatten, c1940s (TWAM ref. 2931)

Memorials at Hebburn Cemetery to the men who lost their lives on HMS Kelly, c1940s (TWAM ref. 2931/43)

96 Responses to HMS Kelly: Commemorating the men who built her and served on her

Thank you for posting this very interesting article. My father had two photos of a ship at sea in his papers and I just recently found out that it was of HMS Kelly.
I don’t know why he had them, as far as I know he was just into his apprenticeship in 1940 at one of the yards, I always thought that it was on the Wallsend side of the river but may not have been.

Always interesting to read about HMS Kelly. My grandfather John Taylor B.E.M was Forman Loftsman (Shipyard), and was one of the first to survey the mine damage to the ship when she was in dry dock in 1940. At one time there were three generations of Taylors working at Hawthorne Leslie. There is a photo of the elder John Taylor aged 90yrs being presented to their majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1943. When asked why he did not remove his cap he said “I wasn’t going to risk catching my death of cold”. I also have a copy of the Articles of Apprenticeship of the other Taylor, John Maurice dated 2nd July 1943. To add to the family connection with Kelly, my late mother Thelma Taylor worked as a tracer in the drawing office at Hebburn.

Thanks for getting in touch – great story about your ancestor being presented to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. If I come across any photographs of that royal visit I’ll try to add them to our flickr set. If you ever want to visit us and take a look at the extensive Hawthorn Leslie records we hold then please do. You can find our opening times on our website http://www.twmuseums.org.uk/tyne-and-wear-archives/visiting-us.html.

When you contacted us last year you mentioned your ancestor, the elder John Taylor. As you know, he was presented to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1943 during their visit to the Hawthorn Leslie shipyard. An image of that event is included in one of our recent flickr sets and incase you’re interested I’m including a link to it http://www.flickr.com/photos/twm_news/10817995495/in/set-72157637591347495.

Nice one Alan – the more shipbuilding blogs the better.
One small problem however. When ‘Our Ships at War’ was published the true story of u boat losses was not available and people believed the wartime propaganda. The first u boat sunk in WWII was U39 which was sunk off the north west coast of Ireland on 14th September 1939 by HMS Faulknor, HMS Foxhound and HMS Firedrake. The phantom u boat sunk by HMS Kelly did not exist but made for good propaganda. A parallel would be the number of times that the Germans claimed to have sunk HMS Ark Royal.
Sorry for nitpicking – keep up the good work.

Lovely to hear from you. You could well be right. There seems to be a consensus that HMS Kelly and HMS Acheron saw off a u-boat attack on 4 September but maybe claims of their success were exaggerated for propaganda purposes. Glad to see you’re reading the blogs.

As an ex Navy man of 25 years, it was really good to come across this blog I have always been interested in the “Kelly”, having been part of boys under training in 1958 at HMS Ganges when Lord Louis came to address us and to tell us we were about to embark on a career in the finest Navy in the world. That was very true and I subsequently enjoyed the next 25 years to prove it. Mountbatten was a very impressive man and reading the various Kelly stories I can understand how he would be so admired and respected by his ships company. I feel however, the great man would be turning in his grave if he could see what today’s politicians are doing to the Navy. It’s a national disgrace and surely one that will come back to haunt them, and the nation one day. Sorry to get political but I can’t let pass that the memories of yesterday’s fine ships and their ships companies is being trashed by politicians not fit to lace their steaming boots!!

alway’s been interested in the kelly as my mothers 1st husband joe scott from liverpool was killed at the battle of crete leaving my one year old stepbrother. she met my father and married again ( he was torpedoed twice in the atlantic ) and i was born 2 week’s after the war ended.

Hi, was very interested to read the above about you mum’s first husband Joe Scott who lost his life when HMS Kelly was torpedoed. My dads brother who was 21 also went down with HMS Kelly and my nan never recovered from his death. Found a photo with the whole crew, but no idea where he is on the photo. Was Able Seaman.

I was very interested to read about HMS Kelly. My mother often recited a poem written by Boy First Class Barnes aged 16, an orphan who was serving in the gun crew and lost his life when the Kelly was sunk off Crete in 1941. I’ve never found the poem anywhere else, and I’ve never seen any reference to Boy First Class Barnes anywhere else either. The poem reads:

Time brings many changes
Joys, sorrows, smiles and tears
But memories grow sweeter
With the passing of the years
Those whom we have loved and lost
Draw near and seem to press
Round about us in
our moments of unhappiness
We miss the loving handclasp
And the voice we knew so well
We miss the breathing presence
More than we can tell
We miss the dear companionship
A little more each day
But God gives us our memories
That none can take away

I wonder if the boy Barnes is the same one my Nan and Granded unofficialy adopted during the war in Norwich, he was an orphan, who
Went down with the ship off Crete while manning the Pom Pom guns.
He was 16, his name was Harry, I have a photograph of him in his uniform, but no other information about him. My Nan treated him as her own, never got over his death. May they all rest in Peace.

Thanks for your comment. You’re quite right – looking at the image of the Kelly returning to Hebburn under tow it’s amazing that she was saved. A real tribute to the courage and ability of all those involved.

My father, Kenneth Jeffery, who served on both commissions on HMS Kelly has just been recounting his memories of the war to my grandsons who were fascinated to hear of him being torpedoed and then bombed. They also felt the hole in his head caused by his injuries when the ship went down. He was a gunner and will be 93 in May.

Hi, was very interested to read the above. My dads brother who was 21 also went down with HMS Kelly and my nan never recovered from his death. Found a photo with the whole crew, but no idea where he is on the photo. Was Able Seaman

I was wondering if you were able to please email me a copy of the photo of the ships crew? My great uncle Jack Johnson died during the torpedoing in 1940 aged 21 also. He was a 2nd Class Stoker. I’m desperate to find out further information or images of him.

Thanks for getting in touch. It’s great that your father is able to share those memories. One of the many great things about Archives is that they help to keep memories alive. I hope that the flickr set helped your father remember some good times and not just the tragic ones. I’m sure that events on HMS Kelly must have had a profound impact on his and many other lives.

Please pass on my regards to your father. He and the men that served with him are owed a great debt of gratitute for the sacrifices they made.

remember my great uncle Arthur telling me stories about his brothers who served and died on the Kelly.When I was old enough he showed me pics of the entire ships company and a hand written letter written to his mother from Mountbatten.Just been helping my son with his school project,and these pics have brought back some wonderful memories of a great man.

Hi, was very interested to read the above. My dads brother who was 21 also went down with HMS Kelly and my nan never recovered from his death. Found a photo with the whole crew, but no idea where he is on the photo. Was Able Seaman

Could anyone tell me more about the HMT Evelina which hit a mine just off of Souter lighthouse on the 14th December 1939. As an amateur geneologiest my husbands great uncle was one of the eight crew killed on the sinking.

I’m afraid that we don’t appear to have any records of HMT ‘Evelina’ or her loss. She was launched in 1919 as the ‘John Howard’ by the shipyard of Rennie Forrestt at Wivenhoe (near Colchester) and renamed ‘Evelina’ in 1921. She was requisitioned by the Admiralty during the Second World War. It might be worth seeing if anything was mentioned about the sinking of the vessel in the local newspapers so you could try contacting South Tyneside Local Studies Library http://www.southtyneside.info/article/8862/Local-history-zone.

Hi Alan In 1958 I was a lady tracer at Hawthorn Leslies St Peters and I can always remember my boss Miss Dickinson who as a young tracer in the drawing office watched the Kelly being towed up the Tyne. She told me that everyone worked day and night to repair her and get her back on duty. I will always remember the emotion and pride she had when describing the efforts of all the workers.HMS Kelly always had a special place in the heart of those workers.

Thanks very much for taking the time to get in touch. Your thoughtful comment really confirms the impression I got from other sources – that people in Hebburn (and at Hawthorn Leslie in particular) had a really strong emotional bond to the ship. It’s really inspiring to learn about the dedication and pride that the workers took in building and repairing the Kelly. Many thanks for your message.

Great to read all these comments and testimonies and thought I would add a little to it.

My grandfather James Low Collins was a shipwright at Hawthorn Leslie from about 1927 to the mid-1960s and was part of the team who built HMS Kelly – and repaired her several times.
When you read the history of Kelly you can see she was an ‘unlucky’ ship with numerous incidents.
Examples:
Late 1939 1 month in dry dock following storm damage
Dec 1939 struck a mine while rescuing Atheltemplar. Work completed 28th Feb 1940.
2nd Mar 1940 struck HMS Ghurka. 8 weeks in dry dock (on the Thames) and released 27th April.
9th May 1940 torpedoed during Battle of Norway and towed back to Hebburn and repaired in December 1940.
Total availability for operational use in 1940 = 23 days

Thanks for your input. As you say she certainly was unlucky throughout her career. Although the story of HMS Kelly is ultimately very sad, it’s very heart warming to hear of the admiration that she inspired and the dedication of the men who built and served on her.

My grandfather was one of the men who helped the undertakers to remove the bodies off the Kelly as it had to be done in a rush there was not enough people so he helped. As the last man was taken off my grandfather took it upon himself to take a momento and this was one of the black “shadow” aeroplanes from the ship ooooppppssss 🙂 my dad still has this today and hopefully he will pass it onto me ! He gave me a book a few weeks ago to read called Kelly by Kenneth Poolman. My dad is very proud that he served his time at hebburn and was a merchant sailor himself. I will pass on comments I have read.
Thank you

My father served on hms Kipling and was involved in the rescue of crew members of the hms Kelly when it was attacked. his name was James WIlliam Jewell, he was a telegraphist on the Kipling. He met my mother Agnes May Hall, while docked in Hebburn, she was from Hebburn. Their romance blossomed and they married. His love of being in the Royal Navy was evident all of his life and every armistice day we would visit Hebburn cemetary to honour the men killed on the Kelly, although I was a small child I remember it well and how sad it made my dad. I have lots of photos of my dad on board ship and a photo of prisoners in Tobruk. I was born in Southsea Portsmouth and moved back to Hebburn with my parents where I lived for twenty one years. My dad worked in Reyrolles until he sadly passed away in 1971, he now is buried in Hebburn cemetary. I write to you because I have lots of memories of my dad telling me about his time on hms Kipling and the rescue of Lord Mountbatten. My dad along with all of the men on both the Kelly and the Kipling, where very brave men indeed. Kind regards. Marilyn Hall.

My father served on hms Kipling and was involved in the rescue of crew members of the hms Kelly when it was attacked. his name was James WIlliam Jewell, he was a telegraphist on the Kipling. He met my mother Agnes May Hall, while docked in Hebburn, she was from Hebburn. Their romance blossomed and they married. His love of being in the Royal Navy was evident all of his life and every armistice day we would visit Hebburn cemetary to honour the men killed on the Kelly, although I was a small child I remember it well and how sad it made my dad. I have lots of photos of my dad on board ship and a photo of prisoners in Tobruk. I was born in Southsea Portsmouth and moved back to Hebburn with my parents where I lived for twenty one years. My dad worked in Reyrolles until he sadly passed away in 1971, he now is buried in Hebburn cemetary. I write to you because I have lots of memories of my dad telling me about his time on hms Kipling and the rescue of Lord Mountbatten. My dad along with all of the men on both the Kelly and the Kipling, where very brave men indeed. Kind regards. Marilyn Hall.

Thank you very much for taking the trouble to share details of your father’s experiences and memories. I found it really interesting. As you say, he and the men who served on the Kelly and the Kipling were very brave – they must have witnessed and endured some terrible times.

It’s great that your father continued to honour the men killed on the Kelly by attending the Remembrance Sunday commemorations at Hebburn Cemetery. It remains an important annual event. The responses I’ve had to my blog have really shown me how important the memories of the Kelly are not just to people in Hebburn but throughout the world. She touched so many lives.

It was also really nice to learn how your parents met. Thanks ever so much for your message. Best wishes,

Hello all,
My name is Marianna. I am working as a historical researcher in the Republic of Ireland. In my work I focus on the aristocratic family from Co. Waterford, named Beresford. There was one of the Beresfords, Lord Hugh Tristram de la Poer Beresford, who served on HMS Kelly as a Commander-Lieutenant. He died with the ship, 23rd May 1943 during the Battle of Crete. He is buried at the El Alamein Military Cemetery.
I am looking for ANY information connected to Lord Hugh: documents, photographs, crew members list, letters, anecdotes, memoirs/memories connected to him – if somebody has anything connected to Lord Hugh or knows anybody (father? grandfather? uncle?) who REMEMBERS him, please, please contact me at: clogheen21@gmail.com
I am looking forward to your emails!
I am so happy to have found this article. Thank you for publishing.
Regards,
Marianna

I suspect that your mother would want to keep the albums in the family (they must have great sentimental value). However, if she ever wanted to donate them to a record office then we’d be delighted to hear from her.

Hi all, a small story that may be of interest, yesterday morning April 29th, while walking on the beach at low tide in whitby, I found a life belt with the words HMS KELLY written on it, I had never come across the name before so I tried searching the ships name via google on my mobile phone, but I was unable to recieve a signal due to the location” ( bottom of the cliffs) so i took a photo of it for the purpose of researching it later and decided to leave it were it had been washed up, last night I put the name in google search, and I came across some very interesting and informative information about the history of hms Kelly during her short carrier , wow! The thought occurred to me that this lifebelt must have drifted for many thousands of miles , and for what must be 73 or 74 yrs since it’s sinking (May 1940/41 ?) I can’t be precise as dates differ, however the fact it has travelled all this way and over all these years almost to its own birth port (Hebburn) just up the coast from whitby is amazing” and it’s timing could not have been more appropriate since next month will be the anniversary of its sinking, anyway after finding out just what an interesting article I had found and left on the beach, I decided that I would go back down when the tide was out this morning and hopefully if it were still there and had not been reclaimed by the sea I would retrieve it” to conclude, I went down as the the tide was still receeding this morning and I found it just where I left it! To all of you whom have a family connection or interest in the HMS KELLY i hope you have enjoyed reading my email” my kind regards to you all, peter.

I’ve spoken to a colleague who has more expertise in these matters and he’s fairly sceptical that your lifebelt would be an original item from HMS Kelly. He feels it’s unlikely that it would survive for so long in the water and also suggests that a WW2 Royal Navy lifebelt wouldn’t have included the vessel’s name. He wonders whether it might be a commemorative lifebelt thrown into the sea at a later date.

Hi all, a small story that may be of interest, yesterday morning April 29th, while walking on the beach at low tide in whitby, I found a life belt with the words HMS KELLY written on it, I had never come across the name before so I tried searching the ships name via google on my mobile phone, but I was unable to recieve a signal due to the location” ( bottom of the cliffs) so i took a photo of it for the purpose of researching it later and decided to leave it were it had been washed up, last night I put the name in google search, and I came across some very interesting and informative information about the history of hms Kelly during her short career , wow! The thought occurred to me that this lifebelt must have drifted for many thousands of miles , and for what must be 73 or 74 yrs since it’s sinking (May 1940/41 ?) I can’t be precise as dates differ, however the fact it has travelled all this way and over all these years almost to its own birth port (Hebburn) just up the coast from whitby is amazing” and it’s timing could not have been more appropriate since next month will be the anniversary of its sinking, anyway after finding out just what an interesting article I had found and left on the beach, I decided that I would go back down when the tide was out this morning and hopefully if it were still there and had not been reclaimed by the sea I would retrieve it” to conclude, I went down as the the tide was still receeding this morning and I found it just where I left it! To all of you whom have a family connection or interest in the HMS KELLY i hope you have enjoyed reading my email” my kind regards to you all, peter.

Many thanks for getting in touch. I’m afraid that the Archives only holds records relating to the construction and repair of the Kelly so sadly we can’t help. However, another reader might have some useful information. I’m sure they’ll get in touch if they do.

Can anyone give me any information about my uncle George Ransom who was a Chief Petty Officer coxswain on HMS Kelly and was killed when she was sunk off Crete. I would like to know if he was on the bridge at the time.

for the last few years i have been in charge of st patricks club in thornaby when i took over the place was on its knees anythng of value had been removed/stolen ??? etc having removed bell out harms way but more to stop a gormless barmaid ringing it ahead of time. a good member mel the bell we call him did say it was aproper ships bell one of the members had given the club many years ago as i wll be leaving my role i was going to pass it on to the new guy in charge i have just checked the bell it reads hms kelly in small indented print could this be the ships bell many members would love hear that it hasent gone

Thank you, Alan. I found your article very interesting and informative but also I must admit, a bit confusing. I’ve read various accounts of the short career of HMS Kelly and find inconsistencies abound. I wonder if you would be kind enough to check the facts laid out in the following which I wrote some years ago.
My father didn’t build the Kelly all by himself. He had help but such was his pride in the work that I had the impression as a youngster that my father did indeed build the Kelly. He was a plater.

“My father built the Kelly
(so you’d think, so you’d think)
And he built the ship in such a way
that it would never sink, never sink.
For welded longitudinals and water-tight compartments
were planned to keep the craft afloat in battle and in storm
Though torpedoed, mined or shot at
In the worst of winter’s weather
the ship, they said, would battle through.
And it did. And it did.

The Captain was informed that a tanker was seen burning
off the mouth of the Tyne on a raw December day
And he sent his craft at thirty knots
speeding down the crowded river
straight for the stricken tanker
And her doom. And her doom.

For the Kelly stuck a mine and was torn from stern to fo’c’sle
and she listed deep to starboard
and her decks were all awash.
But her bulkheads and her welded lengths
as her planners had intended
took the strain and held on tight
and kept the craft afloat.

As she limped her way back up the Tyne
to the Hebburn yard that built her
with her crew all at attention
Captain silent on the bridge
the many men that knew her
stood in silence as she passed them
for they knew that within Kelly
many of her crew lay dead.

They were buried all together
on a bright December morning
And gently they were lowered
by their comrades in the earth
And a bugle sounded sadly
as their Captain Lord Mountbatten
raised his arm in sad salute
to the men that he had lost.

The images that I came across of HMS Kelly in the Hawthorn Leslie collection relate to torpedo damage caused in May 1940. I mentioned the mine damage in December 1939 in the blog but the photographs don’t relate to that incident.

The limited information I have doesn’t suggest that any lives were lost as a result of the mine damage in December 1939. Sadly 27 crew members lost their lives in May 1940 and were buried at Hebburn. I wonder whether the two incidents have been merged slightly in your verses, which perhaps explains some of the confusion. I hope this helps.

Hi Alan I’m planning my first visit to see the H.M.S Kelly memorial at Hebburn Cemetery. My Grandad was a Stoker on the Kelly. I was wondering if you could recommend any other places of interest while we are visiting Regards Christian Rogers

Thanks for getting in touch. The North East is a very beautiful part of the country with plenty of great places to visit. You should be able to get a few ideas from the following website http://www.visitnortheastengland.com/.

My grandad, Sam Wilderspin, was involved with the rescue of Kelly and its return to Hebburn. I remember him being very proud of his involvement and remained very fond of Earl Mountbatten. He passed away in 1986 and I wish I’d asked him more about it. Do you have any information on his involvement by any chance? I seem to recall he was involved in manning a pump of some sort. My mum (his daughter) knew a lot more but, unfortunately, has dementia now. She did attend some gathering in Hebburn a number of years ago in connection with the Kelly and enjoyed hearing the tales very much.

Hello Alan, my uncle Jack Johnson was killed on the Kelly and is buried in Hepburn
Unfortunately we have very few pics of him and I wonder if anyone would have the pic of the original crew compliment. Many thanks.

I have been interested in the HMS Kelly for quite some time and have found all of the comments most interesting especially those who say that have photo’s of the Kelly. I am currently building from scratch a 1:48 scale model of the HMS Kelly and I am trying to be as accurate as possible but I get conflicting information for example some say she had two depth charge rails on her stern and others say she had one, only today I have read on line that she had ten torpedo tubes but I believed she only had five. Photographs that may have been taken on board the HMS Kelly would be absolutely fantastic to see as this would help me make the most accurate model of her. If anybody has any photos they would like to share it would be most appreciated
Regards Andy

Hi Alan,
Am researching Alexander Watt’s naval records. My late father was not a crew member of HMS Kelly but was rescued by her from the sinking of HMS Courageous in September 1939. Reading the history of HMS Kelly brings home the incredible courage and fortitude of all those involved in the conflict. As a youngster in the 1950s/60s I remember listening to a radio play or documentary about HMS Kelly. Do you know if a copy of the broadcast still exists. The music which provided background for the broadcast was the song “Has anyone here seen Kelly?”.

Lovely to read that people are still talking about HMS Kelly. I first heard about her a few years ago when doing a little family tree research. It’s not something I’m into in a big way but dip in now and then. A distant previously unknown relative made contact with me and as a result I discovered that my great uncle perished at sea in The Battle of Crete. I believe he was a gunner… He was Able Seaman William Philipson. He hailed from Sparty Lea and some of his youth and childhood is talked about in a book I discovered called “A Ha’penny over the High Level” by Thomas Knowles Bell who moved to Allendale as a youngster and made friends with Uncle Bill. They went to join the Navy together but Bell failed his medical and Uncle Bill signed up and ended up on HMS Kelly. I am hoping to visit a few places later in the year such as the memorial at Hebburn and the war memorial in Allenheads where William, or Bill, Philipson is remembered. I also just read in the Shields Gazette an article from January saying that one of the last survivors died and was pictured at Bispham in Blackpool..5 miles up the road from where I live… It’s a small world…
Now then I must go and find those photos on Flickr that are referred to in a post.
Best wishes all.

Hi.
Been reading through these very interesting posts relating to HMS Kelly. My Grandfather, whom unfortunately I never knew, worked at Hawthorn Leslie’s, and on the building of Her. My Dad, who passed away in 1994, always said that he referred to Kelly as ‘his ship’ because of his pride at being involved. Unfortunately, I don’t know much about my Grandfather except that he worked at Hawthorn Leslie and met Lord Mountbatten whom he held in very high esteem. Wondering where I can find out more about his role at the shipyard etc. His name was Patrick English. Many thanks in anticipation.
Dom

Thanks for your comment. We have a lot of documents in our Hawthorn Leslie collection but sadly these don’t include many items relating to the workers. Most of the records concern the ships and engines manufactured by the firm. A quick check through our lists suggests that it’s unlikely that the collection will include any direct reference to your grandfather. If anything should turn up, though, I’ll be sure to get in touch.

It’s great to know of your grandfather’s pride at his involvement in building the Kelly – it was a feeling that seems to have been shared by many of those involved. She was a much loved ship.

Many thanks for your reply Alan. I remember as a kid, my dad showing me a photo of his dad shaking hands with Mountbatten at Hawthorn Leslie’s. Sadly my dad passed away in ’94 and neither my mum or I have any idea where that photo is. Just remember he was a smallish man, and was wearing, in that photo, in a light-coloured long overcoat. Is there anywhere I can look for photos from the yard on line? Think I’d recognise the pic if I saw it again despite it being almost 40 yrs since seeing it.
Again, thank you for your reply. Much appreciated.

I’m not sure whether you’ll be able to find the image online. If it was taken for one of the newspapers then you could try searching on a website such as http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/. It’s a bit of a long shot, though. If anything turns up in our Hawthorn Leslie collection I’ll get back in touch.

My father was on the Kelly with Mountbatten in Narvik and was in the water,we have tried to get hold of his war records but until recently we did not know he was signed up under the name of Moat my nans maiden name as he was previously in the Hussars and lied about his age at Shornecliff so his mother had to buy him out.After the war I was born and my father was suffering epiletic fits and post war syndrome and spent the rest of his life in a mental home I still remember the shrapnel in his head and his memories of Mountbatten the Kelly and HMs Eskimo.

I’m sorry to hear how your father suffered as a result of his war service – that must have been very hard for the whole family. Good luck with your search for his war records. I suspect that you already know where to apply for the information but if not, there’s useful information on the following website https://www.gov.uk/get-copy-military-service-records.

i have a model of hms kelly scale 1/48 scratch built on fiberglass hull full r/c i still have the mouldtools for above have been trying to find a home for her . i am an 81year old pensioner living in spain tried offering to musem in gibb but lack of reponse. i also have model of hms gloworm same scale if any body interested please call me via email

Dear Alan my grandfather served abord the Kelly when it was sunk and I believe there is a chapter in a book somewhere that mentions him. His name was Leslie Stewert (nickname Sam) he was operating pompom guns. Can you help?

Looking at some of the archive photos I see my father with the Hawthorn Leslie bowls team when they played crew of H.M.S. Kelly whilst she was building. My father was ship manager for the Kelly and Lord Louis asked him would he like a souvenir, he sent him a framed photo and letter promising “That the ship will remain”a picture” of which you may well be proud.” My father retired in Sept.1959. He used to attend the Kelly reunions most years. We had a sword belonging to Lord Louis which we gave to the HMS Kelly sea scouts. His name was Peter Ross Smith.

Dear Alan,
I am looking for the description/identification of the HMS Kelly crew members in the photograph taken at Malta in May 1941. Would you have any information?

I am particularly looking for Lt. Cmdr. Lord Hugh Tristram de la Poer Beresford (about whom we corresponded some years ago) and his cabin-mate Surgeon Vincent Sheridan. The copy of the photograph I have got is so blurry that it is impossible to identify anyone. Perhaps you could suggest a good one?

My dad passed away two and a half years ago and I inherited a oil painting of hms Kelly it’s by an artist called Arnold Stephenson dated 1982 I was told by my father years ago that he acquired the painting in part payment for some electrical work he did for a gentleman who had it because he was stationed on hms Kelly where or when I can not tell you but its always fascinated by the painting and saddened by its sinking did mount batten go down with the ship or did he survive along by how many survivors many thanks

Hi to all.
My grandfather ( and namesake ) Bob Hartness built the Kelly and also was on the team of men who repaired her after the torpedo attack.He finished his career as foreman plater. He sadly passed away in 1977.
I write this short note as i feel his name should be mentioned historically on this excellent site. I have fond vivid memories of him taking me to the launch of
RFA Sir Bedivere just before he retired.

My father, James T.Sanderson was an electrician at Hawthorn Leslie’s Shipyard and worked on HMS Kelly when it was being built and later he was foreman electrician when working on the various war damage events.
I vividly recall as a small child being taken on a ferry ride down river to see the Kelly on its return after the torpedo attack. It was so low in the water it almost looked as if it was in two parts! The memory of that is seared into my memory.
I still have a Christmas Card showing a photograph of HMSKelly dated December 1939 and a formal invitation card to him from “ The Captain and Officers H.M.S. Kelly at Home on-board 4.45 pm dated 22nd August 1939 Captain Louis Mt Batten “.
Although I was only a child I was so lucky during the war to be taken by my father to look around a number of warships – something that undoubtedly would not be allowed today.
My father treasured his memories of all ships he worked on at Hawthorne’ Yard but his favourite topic was always HMS Kelly. Sadly he died in 1981.

In 1941 I was four years old and had just moved up from a very old House in East Jarrow on the banks of the Tyne. Our house was not very far from the Anglo-Saxon church on the banks of the River Don, where St. Bede wrote his world-famous “History of the English Peoples”. My father, also Robert Hartness, was at that time thirty four years old. He had been a shipyard worker for more than twenty years. He served his time as a Plater and was in the team who built HMS Kelly. The poignant story of that tragic ship was part of our family history. My Father was also part of the crew who had to witness and assist in the removal of the carnage caused by the massive explosion evident in the photograph of the damaged ship. What an awful experience that must have been. Imagine the feelings of those hard-bitten shipyard workers, like my Dad, survivors of the Jarrow Crusade, not to mention the shock and horror of the relatives of the brave men blown to pieces in the broken and busted HMS Kelly.

However, there was a war on and the ship had to be repaired on the double and refitted for further action at sea. These men from the war years were resolute and tough as nails and they threw themselves into the task of getting that ship repaired in double-quick time. So, 77 years after the Kelly incident, I have to say I’m proud of my father and his role in building the Kelly and in the trauma of rebuilding it for more active service at sea. I’m also proud of my nephew.

My grandfather’s older brother Lt. Commander, James Oscar Barrable, was a dental surgeon on the Kelly. My father was in the RCAF and when he turned 80 he had surgery in Hamilton, Ontario for an aortic aneurysm. The gentleman in the next bed recovering was German. They began to talk and my father asked him what he did during the war. Hans replied, “I flew a Stuka and sank a lot of ships in the Mediterranean. “ My father said, “ my uncle was
in the Mediterranean and had to swim for it more than once.” That was the end of the conversation.

I believe Oscar may have followed Mountbatten onto an aircraft carrier which was also torpedoed in the Mediterranean. I would
love to find a list of servicemen on these two ships. Bill. Vancouver, BC.

Hi everyone, just doing a bit of research for my Mother as her uncle served on HMS Kelly as a stoker in the engine room of the ship. His name was Jimmy Doyle from Liverpool and unfortunately he went down with ship when it was torodeoed. If anyone has any old pictures or information it would be greatly appreciated. Many thanks….